


Hope

by jlshadowstar



Category: RWBY
Genre: Child Abuse, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 08:21:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6187255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jlshadowstar/pseuds/jlshadowstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neo recalls how she met Roman and the events that led up to her current situation</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hope

There was never a time when I didn’t believe in him. Even now, as I wait in the snowy treetops on a small island called Patch a small part of me still wants to believe he’s gonna show up any minute, smiling like nothing ever happened. How did things end up like this....

 

_ I can still remember the day I first met Roman Torchwick. I had been outside my foster family’s house, watching their three year old daughter play. He had been passing by when their daughter fell down and scraped her knee. She started crying and my foster mother came outside and asked what had happened. I said nothing, but that was nothing new. I never spoke anymore, /there was no reason to. I was met with a slap in the face as she yelled at me. She accused me of pushing her daughter and told me I was an ungrateful parasite. This I was also used to. Her and my foster father never ceased on the insults. I looked up and saw a man with orange hair paused by the fence watching the scene. I turned away, it wasn’t the first time a passerby had witnessed what happened to me. But it wouldn’t make a difference. People just turned away from what made them uncomfortable. However, he reacted differently. As my foster mother raised her hand to strike, he leapt the fence and caught her wrist. _

_ “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked my step mother as she pulled against his grasp. _

_ “Not that it's any of your business,” she snapped at him, “But I’m disciplining my foster daughter. She pushed my child down and made her cry.” _

_ “Did you see her do so?” he asked. _

_ “No, but she’s a problem child, so I’m sure she did it,” my foster mother responded. _

_“Well, I happened to see the whole thing and your daughter tripped and fell,” he explained to her, “But either way, there’s no reason to treat your foster daughter so coldly.”_ _  
__“How I raise my family is my business,” she snapped at him, pulling free from his grasp. “Now leave before I get my husband.”_

_ The man shot me a glance and green eyes met mine. He hesitated but did as my foster mother said. He left and my foster mother rallied me and my foster sister inside. She told her daughter to go upstairs and immediately turned and hit me again. I had expected it, so I barely flinched. I was so used to her and my foster father’s strikes that I barely felt them anymore. She kept screaming at me, demanding to know who that man was, who I thought I was for pushing her daughter, even though she had previously been told otherwise. And at the end of each sentence, I was met with a hard hit to either my face or my body. At one point she grabbed me by my arm and threw me into the wall. I heard a sharp crack in my side where I made contact with the wall. A stronger pain than I’m used to panged in my side. Did she crack a bone? After going at this for a while, my foster mother got tired of it and left me alone, slumped against the wall. She went into the other room and I struggled to get to my feet. I felt my lungs empty and my vision blurred as I stood. Pain shot through my side and I grabbed the wall to steady myself. _

_ “I need to disappear for a while,” I thought to myself as I made my way to the door. When her foster mother was this angry, it was quite possible that she’d come back and lash out again for no reason. I managed to leave the house, but just barely. I couldn’t walk down the street without holding onto nearby fences or building walls. After getting into town, I slumped against the wall of a nearby building, too exhausted to walk any further. Everything hurt, I looked down and could see bruises welling up along my arms and on the exposed skin on my chest. This was probably the worst I’d ever been beaten. I noticed a shadow fall over me and looked up. Green eyes met mine. _

_ “You’re the girl from earlier,” he said and I struggled to stand up. I closed my eyes as the pain in my side protested at the movement.  _

_ “Hey, try not to move,” the man told me, placing a hand on my shoulder, “You look like you’re hurt pretty bad.” _

_ I listened to his advice and sat there in silence as I felt his gaze take in the purple-black bruises on my skin. _

_ “Did she do this?” he asked me. I bit my lip and turned away, giving my answer.  _

_ “Damn,” he said softly. Turning away from me for a second he pulled something out of his pocket. A Scroll? He started dialling and the realization of his action hit me. He’s calling an ambulance. I attempted to stand and reached for the Scroll, only to lurch forward. I landed directly on him and we both fell into the street. _

_ “Hey, didn’t I tell you not to move?” he told me as I struggled to get off of him. The pain in my side tore through me like a knife and I crumbled sideways and landed on hard concrete. _

_ “Shit, you ok?” he asked me as he moved closer. My arm wrapped around my body to protect my injured side and tears started to sting my eyes. Nothing my family’s done to me has hurt this much before. _

_ “I’ll take that as a no,” he said, “You know what forget the ambulance. We need to get you to a doctor now.” _

_ With those words I felt his arms wrap around me and he picked me up bridal style. The sudden movement sent a wave of pain through me and I winced away from him. _

_ “Sorry,” he said at my reaction, “I’ll try not to move you too much.” _

_ He started walking and he carried me all the way to the hospital. He told the doctors what little he knew about my situation and they took me away from him to check my injuries and perform a psychological evaluation. Upon examination, it was noted that I had two fractured rib bones, one of which was dangerously close to puncturing a lung and if that had happened, it was quite likely I would’ve died. Since I was sixteen, I was given a choice as to whether I wanted to press charges or not so I decided against it. They were my family, I had no interest in getting them in trouble. And what if their daughter ended up in a similar situation without her parents? After the chaos died down, they allowed me to have visitors and the man who found me came in carrying a neapolitan ice cream bar. _

_ “Here,” he said, handing the ice cream to me, “The color reminded me of you.” _

_ I looked at the ice cream bar in my hand. I’d never had ice cream before. Or any other kind of sweets. My foster parents strictly forbade them. Actually, if they were in a bad enough mood they’d ‘forget’ to feed me. _

_ “Wait, have you never had ice cream before?” he asked me as I stared at it. I shook my head in response. He reached and held the ice cream in front of me. _

_ “You lick it,” he told me, “Go ahead. You’ll like it.” _

_ I did as he instructed and it was an unusual taste. Cold, but really sweet. I took the bar from his hold and continued eating it.  _

_ “Pretty good right?” he chuckled. “The doctors say you’re gonna be here for a while though. Any thoughts as to what you’re gonna do when you get out?” _

_ I stopped eating at his words and looked down at my lap.  _

_ “Wait, you can’t seriously be thinking about going back there?” he asked me. _

_ That was exactly what I had planned to do. It was far from perfect, but it was home. _

_ “If you go back they could kill you next time.” _

_ I was well aware of that, but had made peace with that. What do I have to live for anyways other than being a punching bag? The man fell silent for a moment before continuing. _

_ “Why don’t you come with me?” he asked me. I looked at him in shock. He can’t be serious, he doesn’t even know me.  _

_ “I understand you’re suspicious,” he continues, “It’s a weird, scary situation I know. But I’ll teach you to fight, so you’ll never be the one taking a beating again. No one will ever hurt you while I’m around. I promise you that.” _

_ The things he’s promising are almost too good to be true. But I knew nothing about this man. For all I knew, he could be setting me up to be sold in a sex trade or something. However, if I went back. The thought of my foster parents sent fear through me. They’re probably furious that I ended up in the hospital, even though it was my foster mother’s fault that this happened. The possibility of them killing me in a fit of rage is all too real. I looked at the man, his emerald eyes glittered as they watch me but there was no signs of ill intentions in them. And if I went with him, at least there was a chance that I would survive. I sent a nod in his direction, acknowledging his invitation and accepting it. _

_ “Great!” he said cheerfully, “My name’s Roman by the way. What’s yours?” _

_ I had no idea how to respond. It’d been so long since I had been called by my name that I don’t even remember what it is. My foster parents really only called me girl or simply hey you. And that was on their good days. Catching my loss for a response, Roman spoke up. _

_ “Don’t got one?” he asked and I shook my head, “That’s ok. Can I call you Neo?” _

_ I nodded and he smiled at me. _

_ “Ok, Neo,” he said, “For now just rest up. I gotta go take care of a few things. I’ll be back in a few days.” _

_ With those words Roman left, and I finished the ice cream that was starting to melt all over my hand. I may not have known what to expect from this decision, but it couldn’t be worse than the alternative. _

 

_ Roman returned a few days later like he promised as I was filling out discharge papers. Like the first time, he showed up with ice cream. _

_ “You liked it so much last time, I figured I’d bring more,” he explained when he handed it to me. “You ready?” _

_ I nodded as I finished the last scrap of paperwork and we left. As we walked he explained his operations, basic information gathering for the most part. Something he was exceedingly good at, as it’s gotten him in trouble with the police before. _

_ “Oh, before I forget, do you have any weapons training?” Roman asked out of the blue. I shook my head, my foster parents didn’t even own weapons. _

_ “That’s alright, we’ll just have to start from square one.” _

_ Once Roman had shown me around his base of operations/hideout, he explained my training regimen. I fell in love with the rush that came with fighting. It felt really good to be the one giving the blows instead of taking them. I lived for my battle training. It wasn’t uncommon for me to train even longer after my regimen for the day was completed. The first year or so I was with Roman, he would come and train with me every day. But as his operations grew, he had less and less time to spare. I understood completely, but for some reason, it still bothered me a bit. Despite everything, he would still manage to find time to take me into town for ice cream. He even bought me a Scroll so that I could use the messaging system to communicate better, even though he was the only person I ever could be bothered to keep contact with. I had developed an attachment to Roman and my trust in him grew stronger every day. Even if I made mistakes, he never got angry with me. Although he had noticed that I had some habits from being abused for so long. Like the first time he raised his hand to push his hat back I immediately flinched and moved away from him. He caught the reaction but instead of getting mad like I thought he would’ve, he calmed me down. He told me it was okay, that after that much abuse it would be weird if I didn’t have some small things that would set me off. _

_ For my eighteenth birthday, on top of going into town for ice cream as always, he gave me a new weapon. Disguised as an umbrella, it was lightweight and easy to maneuver. On top of it also being a gun, it had a blade concealed in the tip of it as well. It was perfect, I wrapped my arms around Roman and gave him a hug. I was so happy, but things wouldn’t stay like that much longer. A little after my second year of being with Roman ended, we were greeted with a mysterious guest. Her name was Cinder Fall. _

_ “You must be the infamous Roman Torchwick,” she said with a cold smile to Roman. Her attention shifted from Roman to me, “Who’s this?” _

_ “Her name’s Neo,” he informed her, pushing me behind him defensively, “What do you want?” _

_ “Simply, I wish to enlist your help,” she explained, “I’ve heard that you’re good at getting around undetected. I’m looking for someone to get me a massive amount of Dust.” _

_ “Dust?” Roman responded, “Look, I don’t deal in that stuff. Besides, Dust companies have the best security around, how do you expect me to get around that?” _

_ “Perhaps I should rephrase that,” Cinder told Roman, “You will get me that Dust. Or else. It’d be a shame if something should happen to someone close to you.” _

_ Cinder’s golden eyes fell on me, and a chill shot through me. There was no emotion in her eyes, just desire. I looked at Roman nervously. This woman is dangerous, we can’t get involved with her. _

_ “Fine,” Roman said at her statement, “I’ll get you your Dust. Now leave.” _

_ “I knew you’d see things my way,’ she said as she turned to leave, “I’ll contact you when I have more information.” _

_ With that, Cinder left and I was on my Scroll in an instant. _

_ >What are you thinking?  _

_ I watched Roman check his Scroll for the message then look back at me.   _

_ “She’s stronger than us,” he told me, “For now we need to play along.” _

_ >She’s dangerous. Something really bad’s gonna happen if we help her. _

_ “Something bad will happen if we don’t help her,” he explained, “I don’t like it either but this is what we have to do.” _

_ >Is it because of her threat? _

_ “I promised you I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you and I intend to keep that promise.” _

_ >I don’t want you to get hurt in the process. You’ve done enough for me, you don’t have to recklessly endanger yourself for my sake. _

_ “Don’t say that like you know what’s going on,” Roman said, irritation edging his voice. Anxiety welled up in me. He’d never spoken to me like that before. _

_ >Then what is going on? _

_ “I...forget it,” Roman said. This was the first time I’d ever seen him at a loss for words. _

_ >Is something wrong? _

_ “I gotta go,” he said, “I need to figure out this Dust situation.” _

_ Before I got the chance to respond, Roman left. _

_ >Roman? _

_ I waited to see if he’d respond, but got nothing in return. After a few minutes, I went to the training room for some gymnastics training. It’s a relaxing form of training and helped me think when I needed to. As I stretched, I considered Roman’s unusual behavior. The unusual woman who had come for Roman’s services. Cinder. She’s nothing but trouble, but there’s no denying that she’s strong. I could practically feel power radiating off of her. Overpowering her definitely isn’t an option, so it’s makes sense that Roman wouldn’t want to fight her but that doesn’t explain his unusual behavior. Roman was gone for a week. I messaged him repeatedly the whole time, asking what was wrong. Why wouldn’t he talk to me? When was he coming home? I started to feel a bit discouraged after the fifth day and started to wonder if he was ok. It was unlike Roman to be gone so long without making contact and I started to worry that something might have happened to him.  _

_ But a part of me was confused over my worry for him. When had I started to care about Roman so much? Where did that uncertainty about his actions go? When had I actually started to trust him? I’d generally held anyone who came up to me at arm’s length before. I didn’t loathe my foster family but I definitely didn’t like them. But when I think about the thought of never seeing Roman again, it hurts. Why does it hurt? I made the resolution that if he was gone for more than ten days I’d go looking for him. Although that resolution proved to be unnecessary. He returned a few days later, with a few crates of Dust in tow. Men in suits carried the crates into the warehouse and I approached him. _

_ “Hey Ice Cream,” Roman teased with an old nickname. When we had first started going out for ice cream regularly, he had noticed I had a developed a fondness for it. Actually it was my favorite snack. I knew he started calling me that as a joke, but I didn’t particularly mind it. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t still mad at him for disappearing. _

_ >Where were you? _

_ I typed furiously and took a step back as he tried to approach me. _

_ “I needed to clear my head, then Cinder messaged me,” Roman explained, “She gave me the name of a guy I could get some help from and told me to hit a Dust shop and see how I fared.” _

_ She was testing him, I knew that. He was well aware of that as well, but it's not like he was in a position where he could tell Cinder no. _

_ >You should’ve at least sent a message! Do you know how many messages I left for you?! I was starting to worry you weren’t coming back! I thought you got caught, or worse.” _

_ Roman said nothing, but approached me. I tried to move back again but his arms wrapped around me and pulled me close. _

_ “I’m sorry,” he told me and he held me, “I’m sorry I made you worry so much. I just, I didn’t want to get you involved in all this.” _

_ >It’s a little late for that isn’t it? _

_ “Yeah, I guess it is, but it doesn’t mean I like it. Damn it, I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” _

_ >It’ll be fine, my training’s come a long ways. I can take care of myself. _

_ “I’m not saying you can’t. I’m well aware of how capable of a fighter you are. But anything can happen out there. And besides, haven’t you been through enough already? I don’t want to throw you into the shitstorm that’s about to come.” _

_ >I can’t hide from everything forever. _

_ “I know, I just. I can’t help it, the only thing I want is to be able to guarantee that you’re safe.” _

_ I had noticed it a while ago, but Roman would go overboard whenever something happened to me. I was attacked by a Grimm about a month before and even though I had made it out completely uninjured, he had still freaked out over it. _

_ >I’ll be careful. If I think I’m in trouble I’ll pull out. _

_“Then, since you’re getting involved with all this, I want you to always answer when I message you. If you don’t within an hour, I’m gonna assume the worst happened and come after you.”_ _  
__> The same goes for you._

_ “Fine,” he said, tightening his embrace, “If that’s what you want, than fine.” _

_ >And never pull a stunt like this again _

_ “I won’t. That’s a promise.” _

_ Tears stung my eyes and started to fall as I returned Roman’s embrace. After things calmed down we went out for ice cream like always. The stars were so pretty, it was unusual for us to go out so late at night. But between our argument and dealing with the Dust that’d come in the sun was long gone by the time we went out. Roman asked me about my training and filled me in a bit about how the heist went. Apparently they had run into trouble with Huntsmen and only got about half of what they were hoping to get. _

_ “We’re knocking off a shipment from the Schnee Dust company next week,” he told me, “Cinder somehow managed to get her claws into the White Fang as well. Some of them will be helping at the docks.” _

_ >Am I going with you? _

_ “Not yet,” he explained to me, “The White Fang are a bunch of radicals. There’s no telling what they’re gonna do. I still think it’s weird that a group that hates humans so much is agreeing to help them. I just need to be sure this isn’t a trap before I send you in the field with them.” _

_ I didn’t respond but looked away. Even now, he was trying to protect me. He was always trying to protect me. Thinking back to that first day, he still wanted to protect me. But why would he want to help someone he didn’t even know? It wasn’t the first time I’d considered that, but I’d never been able to bring myself to ask him. Noticing the change in my demeanor, Roman spoke up. _

_ “You got quiet all of a sudden,” he pointed out, “What’s wrong? _

_ >Nothing, I was just thinking. _

_ “What about? Anything interesting?” _

_ >Can I ask you something? _

_ “Sure, what is it?” _

_ >That day at my foster parent’s house, why did you get involved? _

_ Roman fell silent for a moment before answering. _

_ “Why’s that matter?” _

_ >I just don’t understand why you care so much about someone you didn’t even know before then. I’m just confused as to why you’d go out of your way to help a complete stranger. _

_ “Well if you really wanna know, it’s because I know what it’s like to grow up in a house like that. My parents were killed in a Grimm raid when I was little, so I got taken in by my aunt and uncle. They hated me, I’d get hit every day for trivial things, and I’d often gone weeks without eating. Unlike you however, I didn’t just silently endure. I fought back, got into drugs for a while. But that’s a story for another time. When I turned 18, I left. Haven’t looked back either. I don’t even know if they’re still alive, not like I care. Although sometimes I wonder how different things would’ve been if my parents hadn’t died. I would think about that all the time when I was younger, but as time went by I thought about it less and less. It didn’t really make a difference. Things are how they are and nothing can change that. A few months later, I saw what you’re foster mother was doing and my blood boiled. I don’t know why it made me so mad but it did. Next thing I knew, I was holding her wrist and calling her out on her crap. Because I just knew you hadn’t done a thing to deserve it. I didn’t want to see anyone hurt the way I was. I guess that’s why.” _

_ I said nothing in response as I tried to process what he had told me. A heavy ache formed in my heart at his words though. Thoughts of Roman being treated the same way I had been formed in my head and I had to fight the urge to cry. Unlike me, there had been no one there to save Roman. He had to rely on himself to survive, he was all he had. I acted without thinking. I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. Roman tensed up at the surprise from my reaction but returned the kiss softly. It only lasted a second and we pulled apart. _

_ “That was unexpected,” Roman said under his breath and heat flooded my face as I realized what I had done. I fumbled with my Scroll trying to get words out. _

_ >Sorry. _

_ I eventually managed to get out an apology but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything else. _

_ “It’s fine,” Roman assured me, “Actually I liked it.” _

_ A minute of uncomfortable silence fell between us before Roman started talking again. _

_ “You know, I’ve never told anyone about my past before.” _

_ >Why not? _

_ “There wasn’t any reason for anyone to know before. But it feels kinda good to talk to someone about it, especially someone who gets it.” _

_ I didn’t respond, I just looked up and watched the stars. After a while, Roman stood up. _

_ “We should start heading back,” he said holding a hand out to me. I took it and Roman helped me up. We walked back to the hideout together and stopped shortly after entering. _

_ “I’ve gotta go work out a plan for the docks,” he told me, “So I’ll catch up with you later.” _

_ Roman gave me a gentle kiss before walking away. It was late so I returned to my room which was in the opposite direction from where was going. I went to sleep that night remembering how amazing it felt when he kissed me. _

_ I didn’t much of Roman for a while. Between planning the heist at the docks and dealing with the White Fang and Cinder, he was completely exhausted. I had offered a few times to take control for a while so he could rest, but he just pushed me off. _

_ “Don’t worry,” he would tell me, “I’ve got this under control.” _

_ >You need to rest. _

_ “I will once this is done.” _

_ The night of the heist, I was on edge. I had messaged him a few times throughout the day and he would respond immediately. A half hour before the plan began I got a message from Roman: _

_ <Time to get things started so I’ll be offline for a while. I’ll talk to you in a few hours _

_ So I did what I always did when I was on edge. I trained. The whole night. I had lost track of the time, but when I saw the sunlight filter through the window anxiety overtook me. I immediately reached for my Scroll. _

_ >Is everything ok? _

_ I sent the message and waited a minute. When I got no response the feeling that something bad happened got stronger. I started typing, only to be interrupted by an incoming message. _

_ <Ran into some trouble with Huntsmen. Had to take the shipment to a White Fang safe house. I’ll be home soon. _

_ Relief flooded through me at Roman’s response and I started to relax a bit. I left the training room, took a nap and a bath. Shortly after noon, the sound of an airship cut through the air. I went to the drawing room to greet Roman. I sat in his chair waiting for him to come in, and memories of our kiss filled my mind. I wonder if he’ll kiss me again. Roman entered the room quietly and I typed on my Scroll. _

_ >Welcome back. _

_ It was after I sent the message that I realized something was wrong. He was holding the left side of his body and my blood went cold. Roman was hurt. I immediately jumped up and went over to him. I placed a hand on his arm and he let out a small laugh at the action. _

_ “It’s ok,” he assured me, “It’s just a few bruised ribs. Most of the White Fang may be incompetent but they have some pretty good doctors.” _

_ They must have been something else if Roman was complimenting them. I’d never heard him say a kind word about the Faunus before now. _

_ >It still has to hurt. _

_ “I’ll manage,” he told me. “Although I’ll be out of commission for a while. Cinder has White Fang working on Dust gathering until then.” _

_ Roman went and sat down, but I still couldn’t help but worry about him. Then I got an idea. _

_ >I’ll be right back. _

_ I left the drawing room and went to the kitchen. I pulled open the freezer and took out an ice cream bar. Whenever he would be gone for a while, Roman would stock up in case I got a craving while he was away. I opened it up and went back to the drawing room. I stopped in front of him and held out the ice cream. Roman smiled and took it from me. _

_ “Thanks,” he said. As Roman ate the ice cream he told me how there were Huntsmen at the docks, waiting for them. _

_ “It was probably luck on their part,” he explained, “If Beacon knew we were gonna be there they would’ve sent more than four of them, that’s for sure.” _

_ He went on to tell me that two of them were Faunus, a cat and monkey, a girl who wielded multiple blades like they were nothing and of course, his favorite. _

_ “I don’t know what it is about Red, but whenever I see her everything goes to shit,” he said, “But.” _

_ He stopped cold as if he was thinking about something. _

_ >What is it? _

_ “She’s young, but Red may be an even match for Cinder.” _

_ As if at the mention of the girl in the red cape, Roman lurched over in pain. His ribs must have been bothering him, but there’s nothing that could be done for him until he healed. A pang stabbed at my heart at the sight of Roman like this. I set my Scroll down on the table and walked over to him.  _

_ “It’s fine,” he told me, “I’ll get over it. Don’t worry about me.” _

_ I knew he would be ok, but I still didn’t want to see him in so much pain. Without thinking I opened my mouth. _

_ “....R..Ro..man...” I managed to choke out and shock filled both me and Roman. _

_ “Neo, did you just,” he couldn’t find the words to express his surprise. It was a surprise to me too, I didn’t think I possessed the ability to talk. My heart started going crazy, why was I able to speak? I didn’t question it much, what mattered was that I was able to speak, and there was something I wanted to tell Roman. Something I had wanted to say to him for a long time that I didn’t want to mention through messages, because it just would’ve just taken the meaning out of those words. _

_ “R..Roman,” I stammered out, speaking was a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be, but I had to tell him while I had the chance. “I....l..lo..love ...you.” _

_ It took a great deal of doing but I managed to make the words come out. My face burned with embarrassment, although I wasn’t sure if it was from what I had to say or the fact I had managed to say it. I met Roman’s gaze as he processed what had just happened. His green eyes pierced right through me. Suddenly, Roman leaned forward and kissed me. It only lasted a second, but it was different from our kiss before, almost hungry, in a way. _

_ “I love you too,” he said quietly. Silence filled the air and we both just looked at each other, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst. After a minute, Roman’s lips met mine again. The kiss started light but got hotter and more intense. His tongue found it’s way into my mouth and wrestled with my own. Roman’s hand brushed through the pink half of my hair, pulling lightly. Desire welled up inside me. I’d never really wanted much in life but I had found the one thing I would die to have. And that was Roman. I moved closer and sat on Roman’s lap, lightly wrapping my thighs around his waist. Roman pulled away from the kiss for a moment and looked at me. I showed no signs of hesitation. I wanted Roman, and that was the only thing that mattered to me at that moment.  _

_ Roman pulled my white jacket off and tossed it aside as his lips found the side of my neck. I let out a small gasp at the contact but didn’t resist. I leaned into his kiss and started to pull at the buttons on his jacket.  _

_ “Ah,” I choked out as he sucked lightly on the side of my neck. It felt good. I got his jacket open and pushed it off of his shoulders. His hands found their way under my shirt and fabric of his gloves brushed against my skin. The leather was cold and I tensed up at the feeling of them on me. Roman noted my reaction and pulled his hands away long enough to remove them and toss them away. He lifted my shirt away and pulled away from me long enough to get it over my head. I felt his tongue run along my collarbone and his hands found my waist. The contact of his skin was very different than the feeling of his gloves. Instead of cold, his hand were burning hot. The gentlest touch felt like it might cause to catch fire, but I liked the way it felt. As Roman, kissed my collarbone, I pulled his neckerchief off and slipped a hand under the hem of his shirt. I ran my fingertips over his stomach and felt the hardness of his abs. I knew Roman was in good shape, but I never would’ve guessed he had such muscle built up under his clothes. Wanting to see for myself I started to lift his shirt only to feel Roman wince when I brushed against his side. I froze up at his reaction, that’s right he’s hurt. _

_ I started to pull away from Roman carefully, trying not to hurt him more. Roman caught my reaction and lightly tightened his grip on my waist. _

_ “Don’t,” he said, “I’ll be fine, but I can’t even begin to tell you how long I’ve wanted this.  Please, I don’t want to stop.” _

_ His words resonated through me. He’s wanted this too, but...he’s still hurt, maybe it would be best if we waited til he was healed. I met his emerald gaze and saw the fire behind them. The emotion, the desire, everything. It may be a bad idea, but I don’t want to stop either. I continued my action and got Roman’s shirt over his head. I took in the sight of his chest and stomach. Around his ribs, a white bandage was tightly wrapped, but other than that, he looked perfect. My fingers traced the edge of the bandage, my suspicions about this rising again. _

_ “It’s fine,” Roman assured me. That was all the reassurance I needed at this point. I pressed my body against his and kissed him again. The feel of his skin against mine was unreal. It felt like I might just burn up, but I wouldn’t mind if that happened at all. As we kissed I felt Roman  cup one of my breasts in his hand through my bra. The contact through the fabric was enough to take my breath away. I ran my fingers down his abs towards his pant line to retaliate. When I reached the edge of his pants, I let my fingers catch in his belt buckle. I felt Roman’s breath hitch and he paused our kiss for a moment at the contact. I ventured a little lower and touched his cock through his pants. Roman pulled away from our kiss at the action and latched onto the side of my neck. He slipped his hand into my bra and started to tease one of my nipples. _

_ “Ah,” I moaned out as he teased me. I massaged his cock through his pants and felt how hard he had gotten, he had to be fairly uncomfortable with his pants keeping him imprisoned. I pulled his belt open and slid his pants and underwear down enough to free him. I ran a hand teasingly along his length. Roman’s whole body went tense at the action and a gasp fell from his lips. I continued the action slowly, and I could feel him growing harder in my hand. I felt Roman’s hands slide behind my back and unclasp my bra. I felt a cold air blow against my exposed chest as the fabric falls away and I push against Roman again in response. My breasts flattened against his chest and the feeling made me shudder. I pressed a kiss against Roman’s mouth and quickened the pace of my strokes on him. Precum started to run down the tip and I used it to make my movements smoother. His breathing grew ragged at the stimulation and idea popped into my head. If he liked how that feels.... _

_ I pulled away from Roman and sank to my knees in front of he. Before he could protest or question my actions, I took the tip of him into my mouth. Roman let out a sharp gasp as I took his full length into my mouth and started to suck on him. I ran my tongue along the underside of his cock. He tangled his fingers in my hair and let out a small chuckle after a minute. I looked up at him with that reaction. He didn’t like it? _

_ “Sorry,” he told me, “I was just thinking that normally you suck on ice cream, not the other way around.” _

_ My face burned at the bad joke and I started to suck on him a bit harder. I used a hand to massage the base of his cock as I moved my head back and forth. I could feel Roman swell and grow in my mouth. I went at this pace for a while and listened to Roman gasp and try to bite back the occasional moan. Pride surged in me knowing that I was the one who could make him feel this good. _

_ “Damn, Neo,” he gasped out after a while, trying to get my attention. “If you keep going, at this rate I’ll-” _

_ With that I stopped, his message got across to me and I took my mouth off of his cock. I stood up and kicked off my boots. My hands pulled my belt open and I slipped off my pants and underwear. I kicked them into the corner and I straddled Roman again. _

_ “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He kissed me as I felt his fingers run lightly over my folds. My legs twitched at the contact as his gently ran his touch over me. I reached between us and touched his cock again. I stroked it a few few times before raising my hips up and lining him up at my entrance. Roman stopped teasing me and I felt his hands on my hips. I pressed a kiss against Roman’s cheek and started to lower myself on his shaft. _

_ “Ah!...ah,” I gasped out at the feel of Roman’s heat pressing inside of me. It hurt, more than I was expecting. I wrapped my arms around Roman as his hardness spread me apart. Although it hurt, I was happy. Happy that I could be with Roman like this. Once he was fully inside, I sat still for a moment.  _

_ “You ok?” Roman asked me and I nodded. “Just try to relax. It’ll feel good soon.” _

_ Roman kissed me lightly and I felt his fingers draw little circles against the small of my back. Once the initial shock and feeling of the intrusion wore off I started moving. I raised my hips up a little and dropped back down carefully. The feeling of Roman sliding in and out of me hurt, but in a weird way felt good at the same time. It was a complicated feeling that I couldn’t really explain, I just knew I didn’t want the feeling to fade. I kept a slow, steady pace. Moans and gasps spilled from my mouth and I made no attempt to stop them from coming out. I wanted Roman to know just how much I was feeling it. _

_ “Ah...mm, hah...Ah!” _

_ I let out a sharp cry of pleasure as Roman started moving as well, driving himself deeper into me than before. The sudden rush of pleasure caused my vision to blur and I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. Roman noticed my reaction and repeated the action, sending wave after wave of pleasure crashing over me. My nails dug into the skin on his shoulders as I felt like I might actually be torn apart from the feel of everything. The pleasure built up within me until I couldn’t take it anymore. _

_ “Ah, Ro..man,” I managed to choke out as Roman’s actions started to get rougher. His lips attacked the side of my neck and one of his hands massaged my breast as the both of us moved. His breathing grew erratic and sweat glistened off of both of us. Neither of us was gonna last much longer. Roman started moving faster and suddenly everything went white. My legs tightened around Roman’s waist and I cried out. _

_ “Ah, ah!” _

_ Roman grabbed a hold of my hips and thrust up hard. I felt something hot and sticky fill me up. Roman rested his head on my shoulder and tried to catch his breath. Exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks and I leaned forward to rest against Roman’s chest. I felt Roman place a hand on my head and let out a small sigh. _

_ “You ok?” he asked me and I nodded. I don’t think I’d ever felt this tired before.  _

_ “Why don’t you go get some rest?” _

_ Normally I would’ve protested leaving Roman alone right after he just got back, but after an all nighter and what we just did, the thought of sleep was just too great to resist. I got off of Roman and lazily put my clothes back on before going to my room for some much desired rest. _

 

_ A few days later me and Roman were called to the White Fang hideout to meet with Cinder and her associates as well as one of the White Fang higher ups. Cinder’s associates were a thief by the name of Emerald and a mercenary named Mercury. Emerald acted cold and indifferent but it was apparent that the girl had second thoughts about siding with Cinder. Mercury however, seemed to enjoy Cinder’s actions and was happy to help. The White Fang member was a man by the name of Adam, and like Cinder he exuded a tremendous power. It was almost overwhelming just being in his presence, I felt bad for whatever poor bastard pissed him off. The meeting was pretty boring. Just explaining that we have enough Dust now, so we’re gonna start preparing for the next phase in Cinder’s plan. Cinder and her associates would be infiltrating Beacon Academy, posing as students from Haven in town for the Vytal Festival that would be held soon. Adam was to have the White Fang gather as many Grimm as his men could handle and me and Roman were to stay behind and move the Dust as well as some stolen Atlas military equipment to a safer location. However things went wrong when we received some unexpected company when some Huntsmen stumbled upon the White Fang hideout. And of course, Roman’s little friend in red was there as well. _

_ During the excitement, I got separated from Roman and ended up in a scuffle with a blonde girl with shotgun gauntlets for weapons. She was a skilled fighter, but I was much stronger and overpowered her easily. However, as I was about to deal the finishing blow, I was stopped by a very powerful Huntress. I had no idea where she came from, but her power output was on par with Cinder and Adam’s. I would’ve have stood a chance, so I ran. I got off the train and messaged Roman. _

_ >Ran into trouble. Had to run. Meet up later in Vale? _

_ But I never got a response. The hideout got overrun with Grimm so I had to head for the woods and wait. I waited almost two hours for Roman to respond before I started to worry. After the third hour I went into town to try and find out what had happened. It showed serious damage and other signs of Grimm. There were Huntsmen everywhere, and out the corner of my eye I saw Roman. He was in handcuffs being led away by Atlas military personnel. I immediately drew my weapon, I had to help him. But before I could strike, I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. _

_ “Don’t,” a feminine voice said and I turned to see Cinder standing behind me in a Haven school uniform. I shot her a glare and attempted to move away from her, but it was too late. Roman had already been taken aboard the airship and it had taken off. I got up and started to walk away. _

_ “Things are going according to plan,” Cinder said, making me stop in my tracks. She knew Roman was gonna get caught. I rounded on her and pointed my umbrella at her throat, dagger sticking out of it.  _

_ “Whoa easy there,” a male voice said as strong arms wrapped around me. I turned to see Mercury holding me back. Emerald approached and grabbed a hold of the umbrella and forced the point towards the ground. I struggled against them but to no avail. Cinder approached me and gently traced her fingers along my jawline. _

_ “Don’t worry, Roman’s situation is only temporary,” she assured me, “I just needed him on that airship for when the next phase of my plan begins. It’s only until the Vytal Festival begins. that’s just a couple of weeks away. However, we did hit a snag in our plan. Perhaps you could help us.” _

_ I didn’t want to help her. Every fiber of my being was filled with a burning hatred for this woman. How dare she treat Roman like some sort of expendable pawn! She had no right to set him up like that. But I knew that she’d never let me go freely if I refused. I didn’t like it, but if I wanted to save Roman, I had to help her. _

_ I relaxed and stopped struggling against Mercury’s hold. Cinder glanced at both her pawns and they moved away from me. _

_ “Neo, was it?” Cinder said and I nodded. “All you have to do is compete in the preliminary fights with us in the Vytal Festival. Turns out you need four people to compete in the tournament, even though the four person matches only last one fight per team. After we move on to the doubles round, and we will, Mercury and Emerald will handle the fighting. You and me will be working behind the scenes to ensure everything goes as planned. And when the time is right, you’ll spring Roman. That’s all there is to it. Do you understand?” _

_ I nodded and realization crossed Cinder’s face. _

_ “That’s right, Roman did mention that you can’t talk,” she mused, “Hand me your Scroll for a moment.” _

_ I did as she instructed and she typed on it for a minute before handing it back to me. _

_ “I added Emerald, Mercury and myself to your contacts. If you need to reach us for any reason, now you can.” _

_ I said nothing but followed them back to Vale. I’m sorry Roman, I’ll get you out of there soon, but for now, this is the best I can do. _

 

_ About a month later, the Vytal Festival began. Vale was flooded with tourists and Huntsmen that will be competing. I stayed out of sight as much as I could, I looked like I was five in a school uniform and I had no interest in being seen like that. We won the preliminaries without a problem, like Cinder had said we would, and as we had planned we nominated mercury and Emerald for the doubles competition. During their doubles bout against a couple of students from Beacon, me and Cinder gathered as much information about the other competitors as we could. We were looking for weaknesses we could exploit, which is why it was interesting to learn that one of the Atlas competitors was an Android, completely capable of controlling an aura. A science, that was believed to be impossible. When the singles competition started, I recognized the fighter that Mercury would be sparring against. She was the girl from before, on the train. I would’ve liked to watch the fight to see if she had improved since our fight, however Cinder and I had to pose as paramedics. Since Mercury’s legs were made of metal, Emerald was gonna use her semblance after the bout to make the girl see Mercury attack her. She reacted exactly as predicted and struck out against Mercury, who in reality was just sitting on the ground accepting defeat. Even for criminals, that level of deceit was just low. It was horrible to watch everyone turn on a girl who only thought she was protecting herself. Having felt so helpless before, I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her. But Cinder pulled me from my thoughts. _

_ “They’re coming,” she told me, “Be ready to leave.” _

_ I nodded and went into the ambulance, which had been easy enough to acquire once they looked the part of paramedics. Once Cinder had brought Mercury and Emerald on board we took off and headed to another one of White Fang’s safe houses. Mercury was given the order to lay low while Emerald ensured the next fight went as planned. I was given the order to infiltrate the Atlesian airship where Roman was being held and wait for the signal. Me and Roman were to hijack the airship and use it to take out Altas’ fleet, while Cinder took care of everything on ground. I disguised myself as military personnel and snuck onto the ship. I joined the other guards in watching the next fight that would be so pivotal to our plan. Penny Polendina of Atlas versus Pyrrha Nikos of Beacon. At first glance, it would’ve seemed like an even fight, but the outcome of this bout had already been decided. Penny was the android we had learned of and Pyrrha’s semblance was polarity. With Emerald manipulating Pyrrha, it didn’t take long for her to release a magnetic pulse that caused the iron threads Penny used to control her weapons to wrap around her and slice her to pieces. Even though she wasn’t human, her death was still sad. She had done nothing to deserve that fate. But before I could get lost in pity for the robot girl the screen turned red and displayed a queen’s chess piece. Cinder was in, and it was time to set things into motion. I drew my weapon and made quick work of the guards. With basic military training, they didn’t stand a chance. I saw a familiar looking hat and cane on a nearby desk and picked them up before heading to the part of the ship where prisoners were held. _

_ I opened the cell Roman was being held in and he greeted me warmly. _

_ “Hello Ice Cream,” he said warmly as I tossed his cane and hat to him. He exited the cell and I felt him press a soft kiss against my cheek. _

_ “Later I’ll have to show you just how much I missed you,” he said softly, “But for now. Is the ship ours?” _

_ I nodded in response and I could see excitement burn in his eyes. _

_ “Great!” he said happily, “I’ve always wanted to fly one of these things. Let’s have some fun shall we?” _

_ With those words Roman turned the ship around and shot down two of the other airships in the sky. He really seemed to be enjoying himself. The skies filled with airships, from both Altas and ones the White Fang had apprehended in order to transport Grimm to Vale. Grimm circled everywhere, drawn to the panic Penny’s death had caused. At one point a large dragon Grimm had even broken out of a nearby mountain and started circling the school. It was a horrible situation, but my thoughts were broken off by the sound of something hitting the top of the airship. _

_ “Go see what it is,” Roman told me and I went outside to the top of the airship to be greeted by the sight of a girl in a red cape fighting a Gryphon. I snapped a picture as she turned around and sent it to Roman. _

_ >Guess who? _

_ I sparred with her for a bit, she’s pretty skilled considering her age and Roman came out to join in the fight. She was no match for the two of us together and she soon found herself hanging off the edge of the airship. Her scythe was the only thing keeping her from falling. I looked to Roman and the dagger sprung from the top of my umbrella. He nodded, indicating that he wanted this finished and I dragged it along the ground as I approached her. I held the blade in front of her face. It was a shame really, if he was right, this girl could’ve beaten Cinder and freed both of us from her hellish grasp. Suddenly she reached up and hit the button that opened my umbrella. A wind current caught it and I was launched into a cloud of Grimm. _

_ “Neo!” Roman called after me, causing me to look back for a moment before I crashed into the side of a massive Nevermore. It turned its attention to me and I stuck my dagger deep in it's side to keep from being pushed around too much. It was a challenge, but I managed to climb up to it’s back and jump off of it onto a nearby rooftop. I pulled out my Scroll and messaged Roman. _

_ >Got down safely. Need me to find a way back up? _

_ I got no response for a while, which led me to expect he was still scuffling with little Red, so I climbed down from the rooftop and slashed through Grimm if they attacked me. For the time being, I was only concerned with getting back to Roman. Suddenly the airship tilted and fell to the ground with a loud explosion. My blood went cold. I broke into a sprint towards the wreckage and came across the ship shortly after. Large hunks of metal and fire were scattered everywhere and I pulled out my Scroll. _

_ >Roman? _

_ No response. I explored the wreckage, looking for any sign of Roman. After a moment I found his cane lying in the dirt, his hat not far from it. I picked up the can and looked around and caught sight of a figure lying down, wearing a white jacket covered in dust and blood. No. _

_ “Ro...man?” I choked out, tears spilling down my face. I ran over to him and flipped him onto his back. His eyes were closed and he felt cold. I leaned down and placed my head against his chest, hoping to hear the sound of his heart, or his breathing. Anything that could prove to me that he was alive. But I was met with silence. Ice gripped my heart. _

_ “Roman...,” I forced out, “W..wa..ke up.” _

_ I couldn’t stop crying, I started to shake. Everything hurt, it felt like the entire world was pressing down on me. This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t how this was supposed to happen. I was supposed to break him out then we were supposed to go back to how things were. _

_ “Ro...man, p..pl..ease. Don’t l...eave...me.” _

_ I pressed a kiss against his lips, which felt cold and buried my face in his chest. I was alone now, there was no one else for me to go to. This wasn’t fair! If it wasn’t for Cinder, he’d still be alive, if it weren’t for her, me and Roman could’ve had a better life together. This was all her fault. She needed to pay for this. I moved away from Roman and picked up his hat. I put it on and drew my weapon. She was gonna pay for what she had done. I looked around the ruins of the city for a while, looking for any sign that Cinder was nearby but my attention was caught by a white flash illuminating the top of Beacon tower. That’s where she had to be. So I headed for the tower. Getting to the top was a challenge, somehow the elevator was damaged but I managed. When I got to the top Cinder was nowhere to be seen. However the dragon Grimm appeared to be frozen to the side of the tower, and the figure of someone in a red cloak was lying on the ground unmoving. Little Red. I approached her and flipped her over, I listened to her chest the same way I had done for Roman. It was faint, but there was a heart beat. She was alive, albeit not by much. The sound of footsteps approaching caught my attention and I turned back to the girl. Roman believed she was strong enough to beat Cinder....but there’s no way I can get her out of here by myself. The footsteps came closer, and I knew I had to get out of here. I would just have to find a way to try to recruit her later. As I left, I caught sight of a Huntsman approaching her and picking her up off of the ground. _

_ “It’s ok, I got you kiddo,” I heard the man tell her before I got out of earshot. If Roman was right, I was gonna need her to help me kill Cinder. _

 

And that brings us to now. In all the confusion, I was able to get into the school servers and learn enough about her to be able to track her down. Her name is Ruby Rose, she’s fifteen years old and comes from the island of Patch. With that information I came here, she’s the not the type of person to sit still for long she’ll show herself eventually. And I was right. Ruby comes into view walking down the trail in the company of two men and a woman. Probably friends of hers, but there shouldn’t be trouble. I’m not here to fight. I jump down from the treetops, blocking their path. Ruby immediately jumps back and draws her weapon, causing her companions to do the same. I drop my umbrella to the ground, indicating I’m not here to fight them.

“What do you want?” Ruby asks me. I pull out my Scroll and start to type before handing it to her.

>I’m sorry, I can’t speak very well. My name is Neo. And I need your help with something Ruby.

“How do you know my name?” she asks me and I take my scroll from her to type again.

>I had to do some research to learn how to track you down.

“Why?”

>Because I believe you’re the only person strong enough to Cinder Fall.

“Wait, how do you know Cinder?”

This conversation went on for a while and I explained to her how Cinder had forced her and Roman to work for her and neither of them had been strong enough to be able to go against Cinder’s wishes. And that Roman was dead because of it.

>That’s why I want you to help me take her down

“Well, as luck would have it we’re kind of going to do that already,” Ruby tells me, “She killed two of our close friends. Pyrrha and Penny. She needs to be taken out so she can’t take anyone else from us.”

A smile crosses my lips at her words. Our motives were one and the same after all.

>I want to help.

“If you’re serious, you can come with us,” Ruby offers and the blonde man next to her steps in.

“Whoa Ruby is that a good idea?” he says to her, “How do we know we can trust her?”

“It’ll be fine,” Ruby assures him, “Besides she’s an amazing fighter. Both me and Yang had a hard time against her.”

>If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead.

Sending that message was probably a bad idea, but I couldn’t resist the urge to taunt them a little.

>But if it’s a matter of trust...

I pick up my umbrella from the snow and hand it to Ruby.

>Then here, you guys hold onto my weapon. I don’t have any hidden on me but you’re welcome to check.

The blonde shoots Ruby another uneasy glance but backs away slowly.

“Why are you so set on this mission?” Ruby asks me.

>Cinder took away the only person that ever cared about me. He saved me when I was younger and I was by his side ever since. I want to do this because it’s not like I have anything left to lose if things go bad

Ruby shows the message to her friends and they all nod.

“Ok,” Ruby says. “Welcome aboard. The only lead we have is in Haven though.”

>Then let’s get going.

With that I join the party and we continue on the path. A crow swoops down and flies overhead and I look up to the sky. Can you see me Roman? I’ll make sure Cinder pays for what happened to you. That’s a promise.       


End file.
